Homemade Cleaning Solutions

Almost a year into my homemaking journey, I was mulling through my head ways to save money here and there. It hadn’t occurred to me how much money we were spending on disposable Clorox Wipes, Garbage Disposal Cleaners (which I didn’t really care for to begin with), or even toiletries like Febreeze that I use on my couches, beds, and quilts that can’t be thrown in the regular wash. I had two options: I could either clean less often, saving more of the products over time (I’d rather not), OR find more economically friendly ways to make the cleaning supplies I was going through on a consistent basis. I bet you can guess what option I ended up going with. ­:-)

So thus, the research began. I’ve tweaked almost all these household recipes in some way or another. This list will probably grow over time as well. Hopefully you can benefit from these as I have!

All Purpose Cleaner

What you’ll need:

½ Cup White Vinegar

1¼ Cup Water (It usually calls for ¼ cup of water but I felt that it was way too strong. Adding an extra cup helped quite a bit.)

¼ Cup Rubbing Alcohol

1 TSP Dish Soap

Essential Oils (Type and amount to preference.)

Mix all ingredients together into a bowl and store in a closable container. If you are interested in making reusable cleaning wipes, you’ll need another closable container (I re-purposed one of my Clorox ones), cut up fabric like T-Shirts or cheap wash clothes, and a wastebasket.

I cut around the opening to make the hole a little bigger so I could pull the rags out. I recommend doing this if you are re-purposing an old Clorox container.

Typically a container this size can hold up to 5-6 wash clothes. I’ve found that 2 cups of All Purpose Cleaner is sufficient to saturate all the wash clothes. You’ll probably be able to get away with more rags and less cleaner if you use a thinner fabric. Once I’m done with one I toss it in the wastebasket until I wash a load of towels. If the smell of the rags is too strong I recommend a wastebasket that closes and seals completely.

Drain Cleaner

What you’ll need:

1 Part Baking Soda

2 Parts Vinegar

This is a pretty well known recipe, but I figured I’d go ahead and include it. It’s good for minor clogs, or if you want to routinely clean your pipes every now and then. Just add some baking soda into your drain and slowly pour in the vinegar. It’ll bubble up and loosen whatever clog you have.

Fabric Softener

What you’ll need:

2 Cups of Hair Conditioner

½ Cup of Baking Soda

3 Cups of Vinegar

3 Cups of Water

Essential Oils (Type and amount to preference.)

Add conditioner, water, essential oils, and baking soda in a large mixing bowl. Slowly add the vinegar and mix gently, because it will react with the baking soda. If you mix it too harshly it will bubble up out of your bowl and make it very difficult to transfer into a closable container (Take it from me!). Use a funnel and add to whatever container you choose.

I typically use this to add to the container I use for my reusable “dryer sheets”. All you’ll need is another closable container and those colored sponges cut in half.

Pour enough fabric softener to saturate the sponges (usually half full works). Squeeze out the excess softener and throw it into your dryer as you would a dryer sheet. With my bigger loads I use around 2 to 3 of them. When your load is finished just throw the dried up sponges back into your container for the next load. Replenish with softener when needed.

Garbage Disposal Bombs

What You’ll need:

¾ Cups Baking Soda

½ Cup Sea Salt

1 TBSP Dish Soap

Essential Oils (Type and amount to preference.)

Combine baking soda, salt, and essential oils. Mix dish soap in until it’s well combined with the rest of the mixture. Take a tablespoon and measure out and shape the bombs on a baking sheet. Let dry for 20 to 24 hours. Transfer to a container and use in your garbage disposal when it needs a little freshening up!

Laundry Scent Booster (Miracle Powder)

What you’ll need:

2 Cups Epsom Salts

½ Cup Baking Soda

½ Cup Course Sea Salt

2 Scoops Regular Stain Removing Oxi-Clean

Essential Oils (Type and amount to preference.)

So I call this my miracle powder because I can use this for anything related from freshening up fabrics to stain removal. I’ve literally used this to get cat feces out of rugs with a little bit of vinegar and a toothbrush and it works like a charm! Just add all the ingredients into a mixing bowl and put in a closable container. I use around ⅓ a cup per load, but that can be adjusted depending on your load size.

*I’m still have a few different products I haven’t tested out just yet so I’m holding off on adding those until I know for sure how they work!